Birding Basics: Our Guide to Making Suet for Birds

Courtesy Catherine Delee Smith

Stroll through any bird store and you’ll find prepackaged suet squares readily available in many varieties, from pure suet to those that include seeds, nuts and berries. While those are fine options, it’s fun and inexpensive to make your own. Learn the do’s and don’ts of making suet for birds.

How to Make Suet

Real suet, in its traditional form, is raw beef fat. Available at most butcher shops, the good stuff is super popular among nuthatches, chickadees and all woodpeckers, especially during the cold months. In fact, suet is one of the best foods for woodpeckers. Raw suet needs to be rendered. First, chop it into small pieces. (If you purchase it from a butcher, he or she may do this for you.) Next, heat the chopped fat on low until it’s completely melted. To remove potential contaminants, strain the liquid fat twice through a layer of cheesecloth. This also ensures that your suet cakes stick together and don’t crumble. 

Good Ingredients for Suet

You can serve it plain or put a little love into it and experiment with various ingredients. Mix in unsalted nuts and seeds, fruits and berries, peanut butter and cornmeal until the consistency is a bit stiff. Some suet aficionados even mix in dried mealworms and other insects to entice bluebirds! Once the mixture has cooled a bit, press into molds (try cat food or tuna cans, or form into your favorite shape) and refrigerate. Making your own suet involves a bit of trial and error. Depending on the ingredients you choose to mix in, you may need to experiment with the ratio of ingredients to suet to avoid crumbly cakes.

Add These Ingredients

• Black-oil sunflower seeds
• Unsalted nuts
• Dried fruit
• Peanut butter
• Cornmeal or flour
• Other birdseed
• Rolled oats

Here’s more recipes for homemade suet.

Unsafe Ingredients for Suet

While it’s incredibly rewarding to cook up your own suet, there are a few things to know before you jump in headfirst. Ingredients such as corn and peanuts sometimes foster dangerous bacteria. If you use these, it’s important to keep the suet refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.

Lard is a safe alternative to rendered suet. In fact, a combination of lard and peanut butter makes a nice base for any bird-friendly recipe. But bacon drippings are not recommended because the chemical preservatives in commercial bacon become more concentrated when cooked. This doesn’t pose a health threat to humans but can be harmful to birds. Bread and table scraps also should be avoided.

Avoid These Ingredients

• Bread
• Sugar
• Leftovers
• Meat
• Salted items

Psst—Check out the best suet feeders for winter birds.